It is a rare thing in football for a British team to go to the Nou Camp in a relaxed or even carnival mood ahead of Champions League business, but that almost seems the case with Rangers in Barcelona tonight. Walter Smith’s team, having bamboozled most observers so far in group E, arrived in Catalunya yesterday weighed down more by excitement than any anxiety.

Having won twice and drawn once, Rangers are sitting pretty in the group, joint-top on points with Frank Rijkaard’s team.

Defeat tonight would not be a calamity for Smith’s side, even though the Ibrox manager did his best yesterday to insist that his team would be anxiously chasing a point or points.

Aboard the Rangers flight out of Glasgow were members of the club’s 1972 Cup Winners’ Cup-winning team, who won in the Nou Camp, lending even more of an air of a party spirit to the occasion. There is serious business ahead for Rangers tonight but it is not a critical assignment, not with seven points already hoarded from their opening three games.

Tonight’s match is also notable for the 20,000-plus Rangers supporters expected to arrive at the arena. The club received an official allocation of 5,000 tickets but most of the visiting fans are expected to gain entrance, lending further weight to the Old Firm’s remarkable reputation for carting vast tribes of followers with them. “It will be terrific to hear that level of backing from our supporters in a place such as the Nou Camp,” Smith said.

Jean-Claude Darcheville and Charlie Adam have both been declared fit and ready to play by Smith, and the Rangers manager is expected to resort to the 4-1-4-1 system that has served him well so far against VfB Stuttgart, Lyons and Barcelona. In two of those matches in Glasgow, against the Germans and the Spaniards, Rangers found themselves being outplayed for long spells before clawing their way to a 2-1 defeat of Stuttgart and a 0-0 draw with Barcelona.

When Smith’s men also went to France and beat Lyons 3-0 in the Stade Gerland it only served as confirmation that we are witnessing one of the most remarkable European campaigns the club has known in years. In Europe at least, Rangers have a robust look about them.

Smith will choose tonight between Darcheville and Daniel Cousin to lead his one-man attack. Cousin may get the nod, but Brahim Hemdani is a definite starter. Kris Boyd will again start on the bench.

Just as at Ibrox two weeks ago, Smith feels that the onus will once more be on Rangers to try to harass Barcelona in midfield “Any team who play Barcelona has to be mindful of what they can do to you in an attacking sense, especially at home, and we will be no different,” Smith said. “We’ll need to make sure we don’t give them the sort of time and space which would allow them to create openings for their forwards.

“This will not be the first time that Barcelona encounter a team which comes to their place to defend. We managed to frustrate them at Ibrox but this time they are the home team, and they will certainly be going out to win it.”

Midfield composure and possession, based around the presence of Hemdani, will be a key to Smith’s chances of success.

“We will try to keep possession of the ball, and the fact that Brahim is back should help us in that respect because he has a certain calmness about him on the ball,” Smith said. “We are striving to try to get better at this aspect of our game.

“We’ve done well so far and we are in a favourable position in the group but it would be dangerous to be too relaxed about it. We’ll need our competitive edge at its highest level in the Nou Camp, because Barcelona can punish us.”

Carlos Cuellar, Rangers’ Spanish centre-back, who did not win a game at the Nou Camp while with Osasuna, agreed that a policy of hustle-and-bustle could be Rangers’ best tactic on the night.

“Barcelona will have a lot of possession of the ball and make a lot of attacks to put us under pressure,” Cuellar said. “That’s the way it will be for 90 minutes and we have to look to win our share of the ball and go on the counter-attack. I think Barcelona will have a lot more possession than they even did at Ibrox because it is a bigger pitch in the Nou Camp.”

How they line up

Barcelona (probable; 4-3-3): V Valdés – C Puyol, L Thuram, G Milito, E Abidal – Xavi, Y Touré, A Iniesta – L Messi, T Henry, Ronaldinho.

Rangers (probable; 4-1-4-1): A McGregor – A Hutton, C Cuellar, D Weir, S Papac – B Hemdani – L McCulloch, B Ferguson, C Adam, D Beasley – D Cousin.

Referee: E Braamhaar (Netherlands).

Television: Live on Sky Sports Xtra from 7.30pm (kick-off 7.45pm).

Fixtures Today: Lyons v VfB Stuttgart; Barcelona v Rangers. Nov 27: VfB Stuttgart v Rangers; Lyons v Barcelona. Dec 12: Rangers v Lyons; Barcelona v Stuttgart.